Call For Review Of “Safe” Lead Levels
A new study from Cornell University has found that even very small amounts of lead in children’s blood – amounts…
New Molecular Insights Into Post-Coital “Ladies’ Choice”
It’s common knowledge that males take the obvious sexual selection route, using bright plumage, energetic mating dances or fancy sports…
Females Finessed By Fishy Fellatio
Researchers from Konstanz University in Germany have identified a gene in male cichlid fish that evolved to lure female fish…
Viral-Vector Vaccines Vexed
Hopes for radical new vaccines using so-called viral vector technology have received a setback, with researchers reporting that the method…
Men: Simple Creatures
No matter the species, males evolve flashier features and more melodious warbles in an eternal competition to win the best…
New Rationale For Biological Complexity Proposed
Scientists have been pondering the fundamental creative force behind life on Earth for millennia, and now, thanks to almost a…
Digging Chimps Provide Insights Into Early Human Diet
Even when food is plentiful above ground, chimps still choose to dig for roots and tubers, indicating that perhaps our…
Evolutionary Algorithms Used To Design A Better Leaf
A computer model of a plant that mimics the process of evolution produces more leaves and fruit without needing extra…
Genome Analysis Left Wanting
The sequencing and comparison of 12 fruit fly genomes – involving hundreds of scientists from more than 100 institutions in…
Prof Pooh-Poohs Western World’s Anti-Bacterial Crusade
Society’s anti-bacterial crusade makes children and adults more likely to develop asthma and allergies – and perhaps even mental illnesses,…
Biodiversity Crunch Threatens Plant Productivity
A new analysis suggests that as plant species around the world go extinct, natural habitats become less productive and contain…
Evolutionary Risk Distribution Law Identified
Taking a “chance” is one of the impulses that drives evolution. But when do cells retain specific gene sequences, and…
Evidence of “Memory” In Molecular Interactions
Evidence has been uncovered that some molecular interactions on cell surfaces may have a “memory” that affects their future interactions.…
Massive Longevity Boost From Lithium
Nematode worms treated with lithium showed an astonishing 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans…
Organic Carbon Declines In Fertilized Soils
Adding nitrogen fertilizer is believed to benefit the soil by building organic carbon, but University of Illinois soil scientists have…
New Holder Of Hottest Chile Record
Bhut Jolokia, a variety of chile pepper originating in Assam, India, has taken the title of the world’s hottest, announce…
Physicists Mull Big Bang Detritus
Physicists from the Institute of Physics of Cantabria (IFCA) and the University of Cambridge may have discovered an example of…
Balloon-Borne Solar Telescope Reaches 120,000 Feet
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) this month successfully launched a solar telescope to an altitude of 120,000 feet,…
Cancer Triggered By Viral Selection?
New research suggests that viruses may contribute to cancer by causing excessive death to normal cells while promoting the growth…
CO2 Rocketing, Carbon Sinks Failing
Man’s activities are releasing carbon dioxide faster than ever, while the natural processes that normally slow its build up in…
Ancient Proto-Eyes Turned-On By Moonlight
Australian and Israeli researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) have discovered what makes moonlight…
Language-Gene Evolution Shared By Humans And Neanderthals
Adaptive changes in a human gene involved in speech and language processing were shared by our closest extinct relatives, the…
X Chromosome: The Evolutionary Smoking Gun
University of Rochester scientists believe they have confirmed a controversial theory that the X chromosome (the female chromosome) is a…
Blood Could Be Integral Part Of Brain’s Processing Power
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe that blood may actually help us think, in addition to its well-known…
Parenting Suffers With Too Much Testosterone
Ramping up testosterone production can help male birds win a mate, but it also turns them into bad dads, who…
Inventing Illness
What’s wrong with being shy? And when did other ordinary human behaviors in children and adults become psychiatric disorders treatable…
Exotic Form Of Carbon Dioxide Cranks Up Greenhouse Effect On Venus
Planetary scientists have tracked down an exotic form of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus, which they believe could…
Pregnant Moose Cozy Up To Traffic
Roads and motor vehicles aren’t generally thought of as beneficial to forest critters. But when it’s time for moose to…
GE Corn A Threat To Waterways?
A widely planted variety of genetically engineered corn has the potential to harm aquatic ecosystems, suggests a study published in…
Fish Hatcheries Cause Stunning Loss Of Reproductive Fitness
Trout raised in hatcheries suffer a dramatic and unexpectedly fast drop in their ability to reproduce in the wild, a…